Transcend Announces 1TB JetDrive Lite 330 Expansion Card for 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro

[MacRumors]

Transcend has announced a 1TB version of its JetDrive Lite 330 expansion cards for 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, providing users of Apple's latest Macs with an affordable way to increase internal storage capacity.

Transcend says the JetDrive Lite 330 cards are built with high-quality NAND flash, offering read and write speeds of up to 95MB/s and 75MB/s, respectively.

Once the JetDrive Lite 330 is inserted into the card reader slot, where it sits flush with the side of the notebook, the additional storage can be used as a photo library or music library drive, for example, or the card could serve as an onboard Time Machine backup.

Transcend says the JetDrive Lite expansion cards come with a five-year limited warranty and are manufactured using advanced COB (chip-on-board) technology, making them resistant to water, dust, and shock. Other than 2021 MacBook Pro Models, the JetDrive Lite 330 also supports 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (late 2012-early 2015 models).

The 1TB option adds to Transcend's existing JetDrive capacities, which start at $35.99 for the 128GB version and $250 for the 1TB capacity card on Amazon. Stay tuned to MacRumors as we'll have a review of the new 1TB card coming next week.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Article Link: Transcend Announces 1TB JetDrive Lite 330 Expansion Card for 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro

 

[Schranke]

Ohh we have come full circle and are now back to the time in 2012'ish where you could get a NIFTY Minidrive for the exact same purpose. This would be fun if it wasn't due to apple removing all upgrade options in chasing a few mm

 

[ilikewhey]

certainly not as fast as internal, but definitely can be used as a media solution where speed is not the essence.

 

[playtech1]

These were a great way to add a bit of extra storage to the 2012-2015 era MBPs and the pre-2017 MBAs.

The only issues were that MacOS would sometimes randomly eject the card and unplugging and plugging back in was tough with the flush fit design, also the speed is inevitably a bit lacklustre compared to the SSD.

 

[nwcs]

This is another reason why the MBP should have had a CF Express slot instead of SD. Not only would it be more forward looking but devices like this could operate at far faster speeds and reliability.

 

[BootsWalking]

$250 for a 1TB SD card that only writes 75MB/s? What are they smoking? You can get a 1TB Samsung T7 external USB 3.2 that does nearly 1000 MB/s writes for less than half the cost. Yeah it won't sit flush in your Max like an SD card but they're tiny and unobtrusive nonetheless.

 

[EntropyQ3]

Ohh we have come full circle and are now back to the time in 2012'ish where you could get a NIFTY Minidrive for the exact same purpose. This would be fun if it wasn't due to apple removing all upgrade options in chasing a few mm

The Mac Studio proves that removing consumer upgradeable storage is NOT to save anything in dimensions, it is to try force users to pay their exorbitant upgrade prices. Which of course many people can't afford/won't do, which means that they are pushed to solutions such as 75MB/s SD cards...
It's ********.
Even Apple shareholders must see that this is something that keeps switchers away from Macs, and creates a worse user experience all around when users are pushed to external hacks for storage - which, incidentally, creates no revenue for Apple at all. This situation is just thoroughly bad.

 

[fuchsdh]

This is another reason why the MBP should have had a CF Express slot instead of SD. Not only would it be more forward looking but devices like this could operate at far faster speeds and reliability.

I don't really think the slot is really the issue here? The MacBook Pros have UHS-II slots, so they could conceivably have drive speeds easily 2-3X faster than these Transcend models (up to 312MB/s). UHS-III, which is pretty new and currently not in a Mac, can do more than 600MB/s. Or you can get super fast and super niche SD express.

Any of these sort of card options are always going to be inferior to a real external drive, though. You're better off just taping a Samsung T-series drive to your computer and saving money+getting much faster real-world speeds, unless a low profile is your absolute most-important consideration.

 

[bookofxero]

$250 for a 1TB SD card that only writes 75MB/s? What are they smoking? You can get a 1TB Samsung T7 external USB 3.2 that does nearly 1000 MB/s writes for less than half the cost. Yeah it won't sit flush in your Max like an SD card but they're tiny and unobtrusive nonetheless.

Does the T7 still force you to install questionable software (likened to a root kit if I remember correctly) in order to access the full storage space and speed?

 

[BootsWalking]

Does the T7 still force you to install questionable software (likened to a root kit if I remember correctly) in order to access the full storage space and speed?

You only have to use the software included on the drive if you want the optional hardware-based encryption, so that it can prompt for the key when you plug in it. I have not heard about anything resembling a root kit for these so I don't know what you're referring to.

 

[G5isAlive]

Does the T7 still force you to install questionable software (likened to a root kit if I remember correctly) in order to access the full storage space and speed?

Yes to access its 'security' features... and even then I still have issues with an early version t7 working at all with my M1. Works fine with my intel chip.

$250 for a 1TB SD card that only writes 75MB/s? What are they smoking? You can get a 1TB Samsung T7 external USB 3.2 that does nearly 1000 MB/s writes for less than half the cost. Yeah it won't sit flush in your Max like an SD card but they're tiny and unobtrusive nonetheless.

Do you actually ever move your laptop? There is a world of difference in portability between something which is essentially internal to the computer to something that is external. The t7 are not that tiny and unobtrusive, they still have to be plugged and unplugged and stored away if you are actually using your laptop as a portable device. Grant you, not a product for everyone, but for some, it is a great way to add additional storage without sacrificing portability.

 

[Minxy]

I don't really think the slot is really the issue here? The MacBook Pros have UHS-II slots, so they could conceivably have drive speeds easily 2-3X faster than these Transcend models (up to 312MB/s). UHS-III, which is pretty new and currently not in a Mac, can do more than 600MB/s. Or you can get super fast and super niche SD express.

Any of these sort of card options are always going to be inferior to a real external drive, though. You're better off just taping a Samsung T-series drive to your computer and saving money+getting much faster real-world speeds, unless a low profile is your absolute most-important consideration.

So THAT’S why Apple didn’t include a UHS-III, because it knew many users would be happy with the speed it offers and would choose it over expensive internal storage upgrades.

 

[theluggage]

The Mac Studio proves that removing consumer upgradeable storage is NOT to save anything in dimensions, it is to try force users to pay their exorbitant upgrade prices.

I'm not forgiving Apple's high upgrade prices and relatively low base specs - and since SSD is "perishable" soldered in SSD really shouldn't happen at all - but, in terms of motivation, I suspect the removable/non-removable SSD decision is mostly down to Apple's own internal logistics - for something selling in large enough quantities (MacBooks and Minis) it's probably cheaper to estimate how many of each size you will sell and solder in the SSDs when the main board is manufactured - there's probably little or no real "build to order". For something selling in lower quantities - like the Studio and Mac Pro - the numbers for some of the higher/less popular combinations of specs are smaller and I suspect it becomes more economical to kick that decision further down the line and not fix the SSD size until assembly so you can, literally "build to order".

So far, although the SSDs in the Studio are replaceable modules, the modules are non-standard and Apple controls the software tool needed to register them with the CPU. Third-party upgrades probably aren't happening and although Apple could choose to sell DIY upgrades there's no guarantee that they will.

 

[BootsWalking]

Do you actually ever move your laptop? There is a world of difference in portability between something which is essentially internal to the computer to something that is external. The t7 are not that tiny and unobtrusive, they still have to be plugged and unplugged and stored away if you are actually using your laptop as a portable device. Grant you, not a product for everyone, but for some, it is a great way to add additional storage without sacrificing portability.

The T7 is the size of a credit card and weighs 2oz. It's no more obtrusive than a USB dongle.

 

[Houpla]

This is another reason why the MBP should have had a CF Express slot instead of SD. Not only would it be more forward looking but devices like this could operate at far faster speeds and reliability.

Just internal M.2 slot would be enough.

 

[Spotlighter9]

As someone who purchased a BTO 16" M1 MBP with 2TB of storage, I don't understand why someone would purchase a 1TB Transcend Card for $250 over purchasing the additional internal 1GB for $400 from Apple (or additional $80 for 512GB). The advantages of internal storage (blazing speed, swappable memory, wear leveling, etc) seems well worth the $150 cost difference. It just doesn't make much sense unless you couldn't wait for BTO or realized you needed more storage well after you purchased. Not sure I would rely on the transcend card for time machine backups. With that all said, I applaud Transcend for providing options.

 

[theluggage]

This is another reason why the MBP should have had a CF Express slot instead of SD.

SD is a "lowest common denominator" slot for the convenience of having a card reader built into the Mac. There are a lot of SD cameras in circulation, and it's pretty common for cameras to support SD as well as some faster format, meanwhile SD is used in many other types of devices that aren't pro DLSR/video cameras: dashcams, drones, phones, music players, Raspberry Pi (etc.), music players... With several "faster" camera storage standards in play, it's a sensible compromise.

 

[slammer0]

With the current size of MBP there should be enough space to add M.2 slot for storage upgradeability. M1 Pro 16" has oversized cooling system that under heaviest of loads stays silent and cool. I would prefer slight fan noise and M.2 slot.

I understand those drives are solution for people who:
- already bought MBP
- need more storage
- can pay a lot
- can live with slow speed
but this seems to be very small group that further increases the cost.

But still, the speed seems like a joke in 2022. This kind of product (and for this price) should at least be one of the fastest SD cards available, where currently the market cap is at around 300MB/s.

 

[nwcs]

I don't really think the slot is really the issue here? The MacBook Pros have UHS-II slots, so they could conceivably have drive speeds easily 2-3X faster than these Transcend models (up to 312MB/s). UHS-III, which is pretty new and currently not in a Mac, can do more than 600MB/s. Or you can get super fast and super niche SD express.

Any of these sort of card options are always going to be inferior to a real external drive, though. You're better off just taping a Samsung T-series drive to your computer and saving money+getting much faster real-world speeds, unless a low profile is your absolute most-important consideration.

CF Express is far faster than UHS-2 and are inherently more reliably made. UHS-3 exists as a spec but CF Express exists today.

 

[nwcs]

SD is a "lowest common denominator" slot for the convenience of having a card reader built into the Mac. There are a lot of SD cameras in circulation, and it's pretty common for cameras to support SD as well as some faster format, meanwhile SD is used in many other types of devices that aren't pro DLSR/video cameras: dashcams, drones, phones, music players, Raspberry Pi (etc.), music players... With several "faster" camera storage standards in play, it's a sensible compromise.

I understand why it’s there but that doesn’t mean Apple should have gone that way. As digital cameras fade into the distance more and more of the ones that remain are using CFE

 

[philosopherdog]

don't cheap out on storage when pulling the trigger on one of these macs. base storage is just there as a marketing ploy to make the price seem low. don't fall for it.

 

[Gotfredsen]

Much much much muuuuuuch prefer to spend the money on an external NVME case with m2 NVME SSD a 2-4 TB and more then 2000 MB/sec read / write spead connected using TB3 . on the road you can simply mount them on the back of the display using Velcro ... sure it does not look nice but having up to 8 TB extra storage with over 2000MB/sec read write I take it anyday ...

 

[swingerofbirch]

I really have not wanted to upgrade to a Mac that doesn't have USB-A for several reasons, one being flash drives that sit nearly flush with the computer. This would be an alternative, but more pricey than the flush-fitting flash drives from companies I'm more familiar with. It used to so simple (2012 and before) to swap out drives on Macs.

 

[ahurst]

I'm not forgiving Apple's high upgrade prices and relatively low base specs - and since SSD is "perishable" soldered in SSD really shouldn't happen at all - but, in terms of motivation, I suspect the removable/non-removable SSD decision is mostly down to Apple's own internal logistics - for something selling in large enough quantities (MacBooks and Minis) it's probably cheaper to estimate how many of each size you will sell and solder in the SSDs when the main board is manufactured - there's probably little or no real "build to order".

I think the general consensus from the Ashai Linux project reverse-engineering these Macs is that it's a byproduct of the M1 being a scaled-up iPhone/iPad chip more than anything else. Basically, the A-series chips have the all the SSD controller logic and fimware that's usually on an NVMe SSD itself built directly into the SOC, so it only talks with raw flash storage modules. Since you can't buy raw flash storage modules, Apple's just soldered them for now (or made custom swappable modules in the case of the Mac Studio).

Internally the M1's SSD communication protocol apparently deviates from NVMe a fair bit too, and also communicates directly with the CPU using RTKit instead of over PCIe.

 

[yabeweb]

As someone who purchased a BTO 16" M1 MBP with 2TB of storage, I don't understand why someone would purchase a 1TB Transcend Card for $250 over purchasing the additional internal 1GB for $400 from Apple (or additional $80 for 512GB). The advantages of internal storage (blazing speed, swappable memory, wear leveling, etc) seems well worth the $150 cost difference. It just doesn't make much sense unless you couldn't wait for BTO or realized you needed more storage well after you purchased. Not sure I would rely on the transcend card for time machine backups. With that all said, I applaud Transcend for providing options.

Wee you might not need that much amount of space when you purchase and since there is no other upgrade option once you have it, people buy this stuff to expand the memory.

Not everyone need a huge amount of space always available (512 form me is more then I need9 for some the need comes at a later stage.

It makes much sense, if you bought something that fitted your needs and now you need more.

I used those kind of stuff for music back in the days, where read / write speed made the difference once (when moving music in) then I never felt the need for more speed from them anyway.